Method of and means for detecting conditions in the label areas of labeled articles

ABSTRACT

THIS INVENTION IS DIRECTED TO THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES ALONG A GIVEN PATH AND FOR POSITIVELY HOLDING THE SAME DURING SUCH FEED THEREOF, MEANS FOR APPLYING LABELS TO THE ARTICLES WHILE SO HELD, MEANS FOR INSPECTING THE LABEL BEARING AREAS OF THE LABELED ARTICLES WHILE STILL POSITIVELY HELD BY SAID FEEDING MEANS, AND MEANS FOR EXERCISING A SUPERVISORY ACTION ON AN INSPECTED ARTICLE IN THE EVENT CONDITIONS AT THE INSPECTED LABEL BEARING AREA THEREOF ARE NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH GIVEN STANDARDS.

'3,553,041 METHOD DE AND MEANS FOR DETECTTNG CONDITIONS 1N THE LABEL `Fam. 5, 1971 G. w. vom HoFE AREAS OF LABELED ARTICLES Filed Deo. 13, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNEY Jan. 5, 1971 G. w. voN Hor-'E 3,553,041

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR DETECTING CONDITIONS TN THE LABEL AREAS OF LABELED ARTICLES GEO/EGE W HOFE A TTOR/VEY United States Patent 3,553,041 METHOD F AND MEANS FOR DETECTING CON- DITIONS IN THE LABEL AREAS 0F LABELED ARTICLES George W. von Hofe, Millington, NJ., assignor to New Jersey Machine Corporation, Hoboken, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 690,271 Int. CL B07c 5/07; B29c 27/22 U.S. Cl. 156-378 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is directed to the combination of means for feeding articles along a given path and for positively holding the same during such feed thereof, means for applying labels to the articles while so held, means for inspecting the label bearing areas of the labeled articles while still positively held by said feeding means, and means for exercising a supervisory action on an inspected article in the event conditions at the inspected label bearing area thereof are not in accordance with given standards.

The invention This invention relates to machines for applying labels to articles, especially high speed machines for labeling bottles, containers, tubes, and the like in large ranges of sizes.

It is often important in the type of labeling in which machines of the indicated type are employed that the articles labeled thereby have their labels properly adhered to and positioned thereon. Thus, in the operation of such machines, it sometimes occurs that articles will pass through the labeling station without a label being adhered thereto, or to which the label has been adhered in an improper askewed position that renders it unattractive for selling purposes. Further, labels on articles of the indicated type, especially labels for containers of pharmaceutical products, are often provided with control elements such as batch numbers or code numbers for making sure that the correct label is supplied to the container for a particular product, or for controlling the distribution of the packaged product, or for providing a record of its distribution. However, there are often occasions that the control element applying mechanisms fail to supply this vital information to certain of the labels or a wrong label has found its way into the web of the particular labels being attached to the particular articles passing through the machine, so that unless the containers to which such labels are attached, are detected, no reliable record of the same will be available, or serious consequences may result from the mislabeled article.

It is the primary purpose of this invention to provide means for inspecting the label bearing area of an article after a label has been applied thereto in order to determine whether a label has been applied to the article, whether such label is correctly positoned on the article, and whether the applied label has provided thereon the desired information for controlling the distribution and recordation of the article.

A further object of the invention is to provide means enabling the accomplishment of the aforesaid inspection of the article while the article is still under the positive position control of the labeling machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for rejecting an article that has been found to be improperly labeled or is not provided `with a label having the proper control element.

Other objects of the invention, as well as the novel features thereof, will become apparaent from a perusal of 3,553,041 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 HCC the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGS. lA and 1B constitute a diagrammatic perspective view of a labeling machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a label provided with control elements for effecting the desired inspection of the labeled article;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the relation of the sensing means to the control elements on the labels.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally an article conveyor of usual construction forming part of a high speed, precision label applying machine embodying the invention. The conveyor 10 carries the article 11 to be labeled successively to and past a label applying drum 12, pressure means generally designated 13 for completing the application of the labels to the articles, and means generally designated 14 for inspecting the label bearing areas of the labeled articles. During the feed of the articles 11 by the conveyor 10 past the label applying drum 12, the pressure means 13 and the inspecting means 14, the lower run of a pressure belt 15 overlying the conveyor 10, presses down on the tops of the articles, so that the articles during the portion of their travel through the machine in which they are engaged by the belt 15 are positively held against movement by the lower run of such belt and the conveyor 10. Prior to their engagement by the belt 15, the articles are fed in spaced relation onto the conveyor 10 in any known suitable manner and then positionally adjusted on the conveyor by any suitable means 16 capable of locating them thereon so that they will come into precise registered positions relative to the label applying drum 12 for accurate application of the labels thereto, to the pressure means 13 for completing the adhesion of the labels thereto, and to the label inspection means 14. Suitable spacing and adjusting means for the purposes of this invention are disclosed more in detail in application Ser. No. 562,229, led July l, 1966, by George W. von Hofe, et al., for High Speed Labeling Machine, which shows a feed screw 17 of usual construction for advancing the articles on the conveyor in spaced relation, and a registering device 16 composed of two units located one on each side of the conveyor and each having article engaging jaws 18, 18 disposed in opposed relation. As disclosed in said application such jaws are advanced in a rotary fashion to simultaneously engage two articles on the conveyor to precisely locate them on the latter. The spacing and adjustment of the articles take place wlhile they are engaged by the belt 15 so that the articles will be under positive control while they are being adjusted on the conveyor.

The labels L are supplied to the articles from a roll 20 thereof in strip form and rotatably supported by any suitable means, such as a pin 21 secured at one end to a bracket provided on the machine. The labels are fed from the roll 20 by draw rolls 22 into a supply loop 23 from which they are drawn in a step-by-step fashion by intermittently operating draw or register rolls 24 located adjacently to a cutoff knife 25. The portion of the web of labels drawn from the supply loop 23 passes between the jaws of an imprinter 26 movably mounted on the machine frame so that it may be adjusted to print on particular portions of the labels as the labels are successively stopped between such jaws in the intermittent feed of the label strip. The imprinter is of known construction in this art and is provided on its upper jaw with suitable type against which the type ribbon and the label web are struck by the movable lower jaw thereof; such lower jaw, as is known, being electrically actuated upwardly to strike the web of labels against the type ribbon 27 which in turn hits the type to cause an imprint to be made on the upper or face side of a label. In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, the ribbon 27 carries a known type of magnetic type ink which is applied to the labels, and which must subsequently be magnetized in order that it may be provided with magnetic qualities.

The type carried by the imprinter 26 is constructed to print on each label two dots 30, 31 in FIG. 2 located as far apart on the label as is possible and in horizontal or vertical aligned relation such as the vertical centerline 32-32 of the label. The imprinter 26 also prints on each label a code number or marking 33 that is offset from the line 32-32, as for example, on the side edge portion of the label as shown in FIG. 2. The ink markings 30, 31 and 33 are also shown on the label web or strip in FIG. l, the junctures of the labels being indicated by the transverse lines 34. After the strip leaves the magnetic ink imprinter 26, it feeds across a magnetizer 37 which is a strong permanent magnet adjustably mounted on the frame of the machine. As the strip moves across the magnet 37, the ink markings 30, 31 and 33 which have been printed on the top-face side of the strip become magnetized.

When the labels are printed on the strip, the latter is also provided with a register marking or indicia 35 for each label. The register markings or indicia 35 so provided on the strip may be of any suitable type or configuration, such as printed dots of any suitable material or punched holes, and are located on given portions of the labels, or of the strip adjacent to the labels. In the label machine, these register markings 35 are scanned in the feed of the strip toward the register rolls 24 by a scanning means 40 of known construction and embodying any suitable known sensing means for detecting the register markings 35, such as for example known optical-electrical and magneticelectrical detecting means Whatever the type of scanning means employed, such scanning means 40 is arranged to scan the particular portions of the web on which the register markings 35 are provided and to send a signal when it detects each of such markings. The signals created in the scanning lmeans are sent to suitable means for controlling the register rolls 24 to stop the feed of the strip each time the terminal label comes into registry with the cut-oft knife 25 for the cutting operation. Suitable means for effecting this operation is known to the art and one form of which is disclosed for example in the patent application Ser. No. 523,756 tiled by `George W. von Hofe on Jan. 28, 1966.

The terminal labels are severed from the strip and transferred to the label applying drum 12 by mechanism which is similar to and described more in detail in said previously mentioned patent application Ser. No. 562,229. It is believed only necessary for the purposes of this disclosure to state that the terminal labels severed by the cutoff knife 25 are successively fed by a vacuum transfer device 41 to vertical disposed label carrying plates 42 on a drum 43 and which successively deposit the labels on the label applicators 44 forming part of the label applying drum 12. As the labels are fed by the drum 12 to the label applying station, the labels are adhesively activated by applying glue thereto, or by activating by means of heat in any suitable manner, a layer of adhesive material already provided on the labels, in any suitable manner known to the art, and examples of which are shown in said application Ser, No. 562,229. At the label applying station, the label applicators 44 of drum 12, successively press the central portions of the adhesively activated labels to successive articles held by the conveyor and belt 15 and moving past such station.

As is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, each label applied to an article 11 is positioned thereon so that a line connecting the magnetized markings 30, 31, such as the centerline 32, 32 in FIG. 2, is vertically disposed, and the code marking 33 is positioned to one side of such line. The labeled articles pass from the label applying station to the pressure means 13 which is composed of a pair of beams 50 arranged on opposite sides of the conveyor 10 and operable toward and away from the articles on the conveyor by mechanism of the type disclosed in said application Ser. No. 562,229. In the operation of such mechanism each of the beams 50 will be advanced toward and away from the articles in a rotory manner and during the interval in which they are fully advanced they will move in the same direction as the direction of travel of the articles and at a velocity which is exactly the same as the velocity of the articles. Each of the beams 50 is provided with a plurality of pressing devices which may be arranged in groups of different constructions. Thus, as shown, the pressing devices on each beam may include one pair having blocks 51, 51. of sponge rubber, and a second pair having article contacting heads made of arcuately-shaped blocks 52, 52. With such an arrangement, two labeled articles will be initially engaged by the heads 51, 51 on one cycle of movement of the beams 50, 50, and will then be engaged by the blocks 52, 52 on the following cycle of the beams 5t), 50. The blocks or heads 51, 51 secure the central portions of labels more firmly to lthe articles, and the blocks or heads 52, 52 complete the attachment of the labels to the articles.

Also mounted on one of the beams 50, 50 beyond the pressing devices in the direction of travel of the articles, are a pair of properly spaced detector heads 55, 55 which come into engagement with the labels on two articles on each cycle of movement of the beams `50, 50. The other beam 50 is provided with a pair of suitable backing members 56, 56 located thereon so that each cooperates with one of the detector heads 55, 55 in the article engaging operations thereof. Each of the detector heads 55, 55 is provided with means for sensing the magnetized markings 30, 31, 33, provided on each label. As is shown more clearly in FIG. 3 of the drawings, each detector head 55 is provided within the area of its label engaging face 57 with a pair of magnetic detectors 58, 59 of any suitable construction, such as highly permeable cores provided with windings such as the windings 58', 59', to transmit lines of force therethrough. Magnetic ink detectors of the indicated type are presently employed in reading heads and are commercially available. The magnetic detectors 58, 59 are located on the face `57 of each head 55 so that they will come into engagement with the markings 30, 31 respectively, when such head is advanced into engagement with a label properly positioned on an article in the path of movement of such head. It will be understood from the foregoing description, that the labels are positively handled from the time the markings 30, 31 are applied thereto until they are applied to the articles, and that the articles are positively held in given positions on the conveyor 10 during the label applying and securing operations and while the detector heads process the labels thereon. Accordingly, such markings 30, 31 will come into exact registry for engagement by the magnetic detectors 58, 59 on the heads 55 provided the markings 30, 31 have been printed on the label, a label has been applied to the article, and the label has not been twisted out of its correct position on the article. If the label is correctly positioned on the article, pulses will be created in the windings of the detectors 58, 59 as a result of the relative movement of the magnetized ink markings 30, 31 and the lines of force created in such detectors. These pulses are transmitted through electric wires 61, 62 to a detector chassis constructed with a timing system in a manner known to the art to accept pulses from the two heads 55 each time two articles should be in position on the conveyor 10 to be engaged by such heads. When such pulses are not received from either head S5 at a time the timer system indicates it should have been so received, the detector chassis is provided with known means to signal the rejection of the article and to actuate a counter 63 to register such reject. As has been previously indicated, a pulse will not be received from either head 55 when there is no label on the article with which it comes into engagement, or when the printer has failed to provide the label with two markings 30, 31, or when the label is askew on the article thus making it impossible for either one or both of the detectors 58, 59 to properly register with such markings. It will be understood that in view of the relatively minute size of the markings 30, 31 (approximately 0.02 inch), the relatively small area of the magnetic eld created by each magnetic detector (approximately g" X 1756"), and the wide spacing of such markings 30, 31, the label must be fairly accurately placed on the article in order to avoid the article being rejected.

Each detector head is also provided with a magnetic detector 54 similar in construction to the magnetic deteetors 58, 59 for sensing the code marking 33 applied to to each label. The detector 54 is connected to the detector chassis 60 in a manner similar to the detectors 58, 59 and signals such chassis each time it detects a code marking on the label being scanned. When such signal is not received, the mechanism in the chassis function to signal the rejection of an article in the manner described with respect to the detectors 58 and 59.

A signal created in the detector chassis 60 for rejection of an article is transmitted at the proper instant through utilization of a time-delay or memory device as is known in the art, by way of the electric wiring 64 to a commercially available unit 65 constituted of an air cylinder actuated by a solenoid-operated air valve. The rod 66 of the air cylinder in unit 65 is -provided at its outer end with a rack 67 which engages with a pinion 68 provided on the lower end of a rotatably supported vertically disposed rod V69. The rod 69 rises to a position beneath the conveyor and is provided at its upper end with a second pinion 70 which engages with a rack 71 slidably supported for reciprocating motion transversely below the conveyor 10. Connected to the ends of the rack 71 are a pair of connecting rods, each of which has a vertically disposed portion 72 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to a projecting end of the rack 71 and extends up above the conveyor 10, and has a horizontally disposed portion 73 which extends inwardly to and is pivotally connected to the free end of a gate 74. The two gates 74, 74 are disposed in spaced parallel relation above the conveyor 10 so that they serve as side guides for the articles which are disengaged by the belt just prior to the entry or upstream ends of the gate. The gates are pivotally supported at their entry ends by vertical pins 75, 75 which are supported by the frame of the machine.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that in the normal operation of the machine; wherein the labels with proper markings 30, 31, 33 are properly attached to the articles, the gates 74, 74 merely serve as guides for the articles beyond the downstream end of the belt 15 and constitute extensions of the side guides 76, 76 located downstream of such gates. When, however, the mechanism in the detector chassis transmits a signal for rejection of an article to the unit 65 the mechanism of the latter are actuated to cause the air cylinder rod 66 to be forced outwardly thereby causing the rack 67 on such rod to rotate` the pinion 68 in a counterclockwise direction. The pinion 68, through rod 69 and pinion 70 causes the rack 71 to move rearwardly, as viewed in FIG. 1 of the drawings, to pivot the gates in the same direction, as indicated in dotted outline in such figure, and thereby push the rejected article whichis then positioned between such gates, olf the conveyor 10 and onto a reject table 80. As previously mentioned, the chassis 60 is provided with known time delay means for retarding the delivery of the signal to the solenoid in unit 65 until the article that has been scanned by either of the detector heads 55 has been advanced by the conveyor 10 to a position between the gates 74, 74. This signal is of short duration only so that the solenoid is only momentarily energized and is then deenergized to cause the withdrawal of the air cylinder rod 66 and the consequent withdrawal movement of rack 71 to bring the gates 74, 74 back to their normal closed positions in which they again function as guides for the advancing articles which are properly labeled.

While there has been hereinabove described and shown in the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent from such description to those skilled in the art, that various modifications of the invention may be employed without departing from the concept thereof. Thus, instead of having the dots or other indicia 30, 31 and the code number or marking 30 printed of a magnetic material ink other types of known inks or holes may be employed. Such dots or other indicia 30, 31 may also be provided on the label web when it is manufactured, such as simultaneously with the printing of the labels thereon, so that it will be unnecessary to provide a printer for such markings in the label machine. Also instead of having the detector heads constructed to sense magnetized ink markings, such heads may be provided with any of the suitable sensing devices known to the art, to sense such other types of markings or indicia, i.e., the nonmagnetic ink markings or holes on the label web, 0r to make optical readings of given portions of the labels thereof. The detector heads can also be constructed t0 detect the location of the labels on the articles by optically scanning the edges of the labels in a manner known to the art and thereby use the edges of the labels themselves against the contrasting backing afforded by the supporting material of the articles as the means for determining the conditions existing in the label bearing areas of such articles. Obviously, also instead of using reject gates such as the gates 74, 74 for exercising the supervisory action on the articles, such supervisory action may also and/or additionally be execrised by causing the signals emitted by the detector chassis 60 to actuate sound mechanism such as bells or horns, or to effect the operation of an article discharge device, or to stop the machine. It is also within the contemplation of the invention, to have such signals transmitted additionally to a switch controlling the motor circuit of the machine and forming part of a unit indicated generally by the numeral 81. The unit 81 includes a timing system designed to count the number of signals received within a given period and to return automatically to a starting condition when such given number of signals are not received in such period. However, when the given number of signals are received within such given period, the timing system will actuate the motor circuit switch associated therewith to stop the machine. In this manner, when there are too many successive supervisory actions initiated by the detector heads 55, 55 as a result of the labels being misplaced, or not being applied, the labeling machine is automatically caused to shut down until the trouble has been rectified.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying labels to articles comprising a label applying station, means for feeding articles to and past said station and through a second station at which inspection takes place after complete attachment of the labels to articles, said feeding means including retaining means for holding such articles in a fixed given position relative to said feeding means while in said station during the application of labels thereto and while passing through sald second inspection station, means for feeding labels to said label applying station and for applying the same to articles held at such station, means at said second station for inspecting the label bearing areas of articles that have been fed to said label applying station for application of labels thereto while said articles are being held in said given position by said article feeding and holding means, and means selectively controlled by said inspecting means and operative by the latter whenever an inspected article does not pass such inspection, to exercise a supervisory action on the rejected article.

2. Apparatus as deiined in claim 1, in which said inspection means is constructed and arranged to make a linear inspection of a given linear portion of a label held in a given position by said article feeding and holding 7 means, and to reject such label if such given linear portion thereof is offset from such fixed position.

3. Apparatus as dened in claim 2, in which said inspection means is constructed and arranged to make a linear inspection of two widely spaced apart markings on the label.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, in which said inspection means is constructed and arranged to detect spaced apart markings of electrically detectable matter.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said selectively controlled means comprises means for separating a rejected article from the other labeled articles.

6. Apparatus as dened in claim 5, in which said selectively controlled means comprises a rejection gate located along the path of feed of articles through the machine, means for operating said gate to eject a rejected article from such line of feed, and means controlled by said inspection means for actuating said operating means.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, including means associated with and controlled by said selectively controlled means for counting the number of rejected articles.

8. Apparatus as dened in claim 1, including means associated with and controlled by said selectively controlled means for keeping track of the successive supervisory actions of the latter, and for stopping the machine whenever there are more than a given number of successive supervisory actions.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a rst means for accurately locating a plurality of spaced markings on a label, and in which said label feeding and applying means are constructed and arranged to accurately locate a label in given relation on an article.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, in which said first means comprises means for applying markings of magnetic ink to the label, and means for magnetizing the magnetic material in such ink markings.

11. Apparatus for applying labels to articles comprising means to support a roll of labels, means for feeding labels from said support and for applying the same to articles at a label applying station, the labels arriving at said label applying station having a plurality of spaced electrically detectable markings thereon, means located between said support and said label applying station for magnetizing the electrically detectable material in salid markings, a second station having a plurality of means to electrically detect said markings on labels that have been completely attached to articles, retaining means for holding the articles in a xed given position relative to said label applying station and said second station, operative to move said detecting means toward and away from the article and causing a relative motion between said markings and said detecting means on the advancing movement of said detecting means such as to bring the markings into the magnetic eld of said detecting means so as to enable the latter to sense the presence of said markings.

12. Apparatus as dened in claim 11, including means located between said support and said magnetizing means for. printing such electrically detectable markings on the labels fed from said support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,592,260 4/1952 Emerson et al 209-81 3,322,596 5/1967 Vergobbi et al. 156-363 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,079,232 8/l967 England 156-378 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner I. I. DEVITT, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 156-475; 209-81 P01050 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 569 CERTIFICATE 0F CGRRECTION Parent No. 3,553,0L1 Datei Jaguary 5` 1971 Inventor(s) George W. von Hofe It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column l, line IE5, the word "supplied" should read a.pplied. Column 84 line 12, lthe word means should be inserted before "operative".

Signed and sealed this 23rd day of Merch 1971 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETGHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SGHUYLER, JR Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

